Broadcasting in a Post-National Environment: The Rise of Transnational TV Groups

Abstract

This article argues that the transnational shift that began in the late 1990s is reconfiguring the European television marketplace. This shift is characterized by the emergence of transnational TV networks, international TV formats and multinational TV groups. This paper analyses this mutation and argues that they are best comprehended using Ulrich Beck’s cosmopolitan perspective.This article then turns its attention to the development of multinational TV groups, showing how they first struggled in the 1990s to eventually claim the top positions in Europe’s pecking order of broadcasters. It analyses the factors that brought this transformation and presents an overview of the leading multinational players, distinguishing between the (predominantly) free-to-air TV groups that derive the bulk of their income from advertising, cable and satellite broadcasters that have a business model based on a variety of revenue streams, and TV production companies. Finally, this article outlines the concept of transnational integration and shows how a corporate transnational structure can help generate synergies and foster creativity.